Fish and Seafood

[godito]

I wish I had known of this thread before I got these pictures taken. I was doing some promotions so I hired a photographer (well, she's my friend, but I still hired her). I would've taken some pictures of the whole fish. It was fun to prep.

I live in Chile, which is all coast, so we get all kinds of different fish and seafood. This one is Merluza Austral, which is some kind of Hake.

This is me prepping the fish

My very own "Hake Three Ways, With Yuca Pureé and Peach Salsa"

[AzianBrewer]

Pomfret (sorry, no idea of the species). Again from my fishmonger in Edinburgh. Highly prized in SE-Asia.

Deep fried and used and sauced with Thai 'Three flavour sauce'.

←

You can soak it in coconut milk and dust the whole fish with curry powder, salt and pepper then fry it.

[Pan]

Ooh, Threadfins are good fish.

Adam, have you had the Nonya-style fish head? The one that's sourish, and does not have coconut milk?

←

Also called Asam (=sour) Fish Head. It's made with tamarind.

Adam, I thought your Curry Fish Head looked delicious.

[helenjp]

I never knew about this thread! I really appreciate all those photos, thank you...growing up in New Zealand, and now living in Japan, I know a lot of European fish only by name or line drawing/illustration - seeing the fish in close-up makes it much easier for me to understand what kind of fish it really is.

You said you felt guilty about eating a really large fish - I think I know what you mean, but I'd be interested to hear more about your ideas.

[jayt90]

Pomfret (sorry, no idea of the species). Again from my fishmonger in Edinburgh. Highly prized in SE-Asia.

Deep fried and used and sauced with Thai 'Three flavour sauce'.

←

You can soak it in coconut milk and dust the whole fish with curry powder, salt and pepper then fry it.

←

Even though this fish comes from Asia, it looks like Pompano, from the Atlantic Gulfstream.

It hasn't been sold in my area for a few years, but the photo brings back fond memories...

[Adam Balic]

Ooh, Threadfins are good fish.

Adam, have you had the Nonya-style fish head? The one that's sourish, and does not have coconut milk?

←

I may have, I'm not sure. When I was 14 I stayed in Singapore and Malaysia for 3 months. The fishhead curry was a dish that sticks out in my mind as a dish I had, but I can't remember the exact sauce.

In Melbourne we ate at a Malaysian restaurant once a week or so and they had a fish head curry dish as well, but this had a coconut based sauce as well.

Do you have a recipe for the Nonya dish, I would love to try it?

[Adam Balic]

I wish I had known of this thread before I got these pictures taken. I was doing some promotions so I hired a photographer (well, she's my friend, but I still hired her). I would've taken some pictures of the whole fish. It was fun to prep.

I live in Chile, which is all coast, so we get all kinds of different fish and seafood. This one is Merluza Austral, which is some kind of Hake.

This is me prepping the fish

My very own "Hake Three Ways, With Yuca Pureé and Peach Salsa"

←

That looks great. What are the three ways? Is one of them use achiote?

Edited January 22, 2006 by Adam Balic (log)

[slbunge]

Even though this fish comes from Asia, it looks like Pompano, from the Atlantic Gulfstream.

It hasn't been sold in my area for a few years, but the photo brings back fond memories...

←

I was thinking this same thing. Looks like the Pompano that I remember people fishing for in the surf off of Gulf Shores, AL. Fabulous grilled with the skin-side down until it is charred. The flesh then lifts off the skin beautifully.

[Adam Balic]

Even though this fish comes from Asia, it looks like Pompano, from the Atlantic Gulfstream.

It hasn't been sold in my area for a few years, but the photo brings back fond memories...

←

I was thinking this same thing. Looks like the Pompano that I remember people fishing for in the surf off of Gulf Shores, AL. Fabulous grilled with the skin-side down until it is charred. The flesh then lifts off the skin beautifully.

←

They look similar, but belong to different groups of fish. The common or Florida Pompano Trachinotus carolinus looks very similar in deed to my fish (Silver Pomfret, Pampus argenteus ), but is a little more elongated.

Edited January 22, 2006 by Adam Balic (log)

[Adam Balic]

One of the worlds great fish, the Mackerel (Scomber scombrus). These are really great fish, but due to their high oil content they need to be absolutely fresh. As they are so rich, they are very good smoked, but also go very well with sharp sauces. Gooseberry sauce is traditional in the UK.

The beautiful markings in these fish, which look like an exotic alphabet, are the distinguising feature of this group of fish.

These are Chub Mackeral (Scomber colias) at the Jerez market. They are smaller in size, have bigger eyes and have less defined markings, but also a a good fish when fresh.

Edited January 29, 2006 by Adam Balic (log)

[Adam Balic]

And here is the cooked fish. Very simply served with green 'harissa', it is very good.

[rlibkind]

Adam, my mouth is watering. The spring mackeral run is about to start in the northeast U.S. I might add, the Spanish mackeral (Scomberomorous maculatus) is also an excellent member of the family. But rather than the alphabet-like markings, this one is spotted.

[Adam Balic]

Yes, they are great fish, we have closely related species in Indo-Pacific waters, including the Kingfish Scomberomorus commerson (a similar fish, the King Mackerel is found in US waters), which can get very big, 150 cm in some cases. This one is about 130 cm long and was on sale in my local fishmonger in Edinburgh. This is a great fishmonger, we are constantly amazed that their fish flown in from the Indo-Pacifc are fresher then the 'local' fish sold in the more traditional Scottish fishmongers in town.

[Peter the eater]

Adam, my mouth is watering. The spring mackeral run is about to start in the northeast U.S. I might add, the Spanish mackeral (Scomberomorous maculatus) is also an excellent member of the family. But rather than the alphabet-like markings, this one is spotted.

←

Here in Nova Scotia we get a big run of mackerel in May/June and then again in Aug/Sept when they are much bigger. I believe thay are known as "blue mackerel" and they are often persued by bigger fish and whales, which sometimes venture into my bay after them. When they are small, people here call them "tinkers". Big or small they are easy to catch, a breeze to clean and fantastic to eat. And apparently a near-ideal fish from a nutrition point of view.

[miladyinsanity]

Adam, I can try, but can't make any promises. My mom belongs to the cooks without recipe book gang.

[Adam Balic]

These are Chub Mackeral (Scomber colias) at the Jerez market. They are smaller in size, have bigger eyes and have less defined markings, but also a a good fish when fresh.

←

I forgot to add that in live mackerel you get this very pretty iridescence, but this fades soon after the fish die. As you can see it here on these chub mackerel it indicates how fresh they are.

[Adam Balic]

Adam, my mouth is watering. The spring mackeral run is about to start in the northeast U.S. I might add, the Spanish mackeral (Scomberomorous maculatus) is also an excellent member of the family. But rather than the alphabet-like markings, this one is spotted.

←

Here in Nova Scotia we get a big run of mackerel in May/June and then again in Aug/Sept when they are much bigger. I believe thay are known as "blue mackerel" and they are often persued by bigger fish and whales, which sometimes venture into my bay after them. When they are small, people here call them "tinkers". Big or small they are easy to catch, a breeze to clean and fantastic to eat. And apparently a near-ideal fish from a nutrition point of view.

←

Yes these guys are the Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) I showed above. The Western Atlantic population over-winters near Nova Scotia. Are there any traditional preparations from the area?

[Peter the eater]

Adam, my mouth is watering. The spring mackeral run is about to start in the northeast U.S. I might add, the Spanish mackeral (Scomberomorous maculatus) is also an excellent member of the family. But rather than the alphabet-like markings, this one is spotted.

←

Here in Nova Scotia we get a big run of mackerel in May/June and then again in Aug/Sept when they are much bigger. I believe thay are known as "blue mackerel" and they are often persued by bigger fish and whales, which sometimes venture into my bay after them. When they are small, people here call them "tinkers". Big or small they are easy to catch, a breeze to clean and fantastic to eat. And apparently a near-ideal fish from a nutrition point of view.

←

Yes these guys are the Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) I showed above. The Western Atlantic population over-winters near Nova Scotia. Are there any traditional preparations from the area?

←

When the mackerel are running they show up in the grocery stores, at restaurants and at the side of the road. The roadside guys them fresh at these times but also have them available as smoked filets for most of the year.

I like to chop off each end, gut them, give them a quick rinse and place on the barBQ pretty much as is. Others here like to roll them around in a skillet with some lemon. I say roll because the tinkers are almost cylindrical and several can fit in a 10" pan.

I might add that to catch them is very exciting. I go down to the wharf and cast a line that has a mackerel jig at the end - 5 or 6 unbaited hooks spaced over 2 feet. When the school goes by you get a half dozen fish taking the hook at once. If they all swim in one direction it feels like one giant fish. When they are in the bay here I can usually fill a 10 litre bucket within the hour.

[johnnyd]

Welcome to eGullet Peter.

We get the same deal here in the Gulf of Maine. Love those tinkers! Not much appreciation for them here - tinkers are usually salted in those big blue barrels and sold for lobster bait. No wonder so many bugs get trapped, they know a good meal when they smell 'em.

[godito]

I wish I had known of this thread before I got these pictures taken. I was doing some promotions so I hired a photographer (well, she's my friend, but I still hired her). I would've taken some pictures of the whole fish. It was fun to prep.

I live in Chile, which is all coast, so we get all kinds of different fish and seafood. This one is Merluza Austral, which is some kind of Hake.

This is me prepping the fish

My very own "Hake Three Ways, With Yuca Pureé and Peach Salsa"

←

That looks great. What are the three ways? Is one of them use achiote?

←

The one on top is poached in a gingery cout bouillon, the second one is just sauteed (I deglazed that pan with some broth and ripe cherry juice to make the sauce) and the last one is deep fried after a regular beer batter. That one, of course, turned out to be the best. Then again, I'm a big fan of deep fried fish.

[Adam Balic]

I read an article today by an English food writer who commented that it was all very well trying new fish types, but unless they where brill, halibut or turbot they often didn't taste that good. There is some truth in this, but I thought I would go to the fishmonger and see what 'also rans' were for sale.

This is the final selection. In all they cost £12 and would feed 8 people. Some of them are highly prized, some of them not so much.

Tub Gurnard (Trigla lucerna). A really lovely fish, if underated in the UK.

Saithe/Coley/Coalfish (Pollachius virens). Historically and commercially very important, but pretty much regarded as cat food in the UK. Young fish like this are very good though.

John Dory (Zeus Faber). High status fish, excellent eating.

Hake (Merluccius merluccius. A hugely popular fish, especially in Spain. Soft flesh, but a great flavour especially when cooked on the bone.

Red Mullet (Mullus surmuletus). Very highly prized, great flavour. There are two species in the Med, they are pretty similar in appearance and flavour, but this is the bigger species. For fish nerds the other species (Mullus barbatus) doesn't have the red stripe on the first dorsal fin.

Forkbeard (Phycis blennoides). A weird one. There are two species common around Europe, this is the larger one (if a small specimen). They have soft flesh, but a good flavour. They are highly prized in Corsica and I have also seen them for sale in Liguria. The Italian name for them is Mustella.

So after removing the fillets, this is the basis of and excellent stock which will be used to make a Sicillian couscous dish.

[Sam Salmon]

A few thoughts...

Here in BC we have Scomber Japonicus variety Mackerel and you can't give them away.

They do make excellent Crab/Prawn bait though.

I'm struck by how small the whole fish being sold in Europe are.

No one here would buy a fish that small and no fish market would stock it.

Spoiled rotten?

Could be....

[docsconz]

Nice primer on fish species, Adam. Thank you.

There aren't too many big fish left it seems.

[Adam Balic]

A few thoughts...

Here in BC we have Scomber Japonicus variety Mackerel and you can't give them away.

They do make excellent Crab/Prawn bait though.

I'm struck by how small the whole fish being sold in Europe are.

No one here would buy a fish that small and no fish market would stock it.

Spoiled rotten?

Could be....

←

I think you need to ask what happens to the smaller fish in the USA. They are still being landed after all, but with no market, they most likely get dumped or end up processed in one form or another. Also, since the average size of fish landed within a species is decreasing, what happens to the smaller fish?

Scomber japonicus is also called a 'Chub Mackerel', but it is found on the Western Atlantic. There is also another species found in Australian waters. Not a bad little fish, but people pretty much want non-oily white fleshed fish, which produce big thick fillets. Me, I would rather eat the Chub then Tilapia.

Also, there is nothign wrong with smaller fish as a food. As long as stocks of fish are stable I have no problem with targeting them. If you only target the larger fish I think that this has numerous problems related to sustainability etc, but from a culinary point of view you are missing out as well. Some of the finest fish in the sae just don't get that big and in some species that do get bigger, the smaller speciems have a better texture and taste. The Red Mullet and Colley are examples of this.

Edited February 2, 2006 by Adam Balic (log)

[jayt90]

During the recent Canadian election, one of the candidates (Stephen Harper, who won a minority) promised that Canadian patrol ships would arrest foreign fishing vessels in the Grand Banks area for overfishing, or dumping unwanted fish. Significantly, the patrols would be stepped up from the present level, and would go beyond the country's 200 mile limit.

It will be interesting to see if Harper can deliver. If he does, it will help the severe overfishing and dumping in the western Atlantic.

(I'm hoping this post is newsworthy and informative, rather than political).